Eastern Orthodoxy

Athanasius
stated in the fourth
century that Christ “assumed humanity that we might become
God,” i.e. “God became Man that Man
might become God.”

The essence of this is not that man
becomes divine, but that man in Christ is enabled to partake of the
divine nature. The doctrine of theosis needs to be understood in
the view of salvation expressed in the Eastern
Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox view of salvation is
about God's image being restored in man.

In the Eastern Orthodox understanding of
salvation one of the main themes is “release from the corruption
and mortality caused by the evil desires of the world.”

Roman Catholicism

The term “sanctity” is employed in somewhat different senses in
relation to God, to individual men, and to a corporate
body. As applied to God it denotes the absolutemoral perfection which is His by
nature. In regard to men it signifies a close union with God,
together with the moral perfection resulting from this union. Hence
holiness is said to belong to God by essence, and to creatures only
by participation. Whatever sanctity they possess comes to them as a
Divine gift. As used of a
society, the term means

that this society aims at producing holiness in its members,
and is possessed of means capable of securing that result,
and

that the lives of its members correspond, at least in some
measure, with the purpose of the society, and display a real, not a
merely nominal holiness.

It is further manifested that the Church's
holiness must be of an entirely supernatural character ——
something altogether beyond the power of unassisted human
nature.

Another characteristic of holiness according to the Christian
ideal is love of suffering; not as though
pleasure were evil in itself, but because suffering is the great
means by which our love of God is intensified and purified. All
those who have attained a high degree of holiness have learnt to
rejoice in suffering,
because by it their love to God was freed from every element of
self-seeking, and their
lives conformed to that
of their Master.

“Thus, until the last day, the Holy Ghost
abides with the holy congregation or Christendom, by
means of which He fetches us to Christ and which He employs to
teach and preach to us the Word, whereby He works and promotes
sanctification, causing it [this community] daily to grow and
become strong in the faith
and its fruits
which He produces. We further believe that in this Christian Church
we have forgiveness
of sin, which is wrought through the holySacraments and
Absolution,
moreover, through all manner of consolatorypromises of the entire
Gospel [...]
For although the grace of
God is secured through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by
the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church,
yet on account of our flesh
which we bear about with us we are never without sin [...] But
outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is
no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification].
Therefore all who seek and wish to merit
holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness
of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves
[from this Church] [...] Meanwhile, however, while sanctification
has begun and is growing daily, we expect that our flesh will be
destroyed and buried with all its uncleanness, and will come forth
gloriously, and arise to entire and perfect holiness in a new
eternal
life. For now we are only half pure and holy, so that the Holy
Ghost has ever [some reason why] to continue His work in us through
the Word, and daily to dispense forgiveness, until we attain to
that life where there will be no more forgiveness, but only
perfectly pure and holy people, full of godliness and righteousness, removed and
free from sin, death, and
all evil, in a new,
immortal,
and glorified body. Behold, all this is to be the office and work
of the Holy Ghost, that He begin and daily increase holiness upon
earth by means of these two things, the Christian Church and the
forgiveness of sin. But in our dissolution He will
accomplish it altogether in an instant, and will forever preserve
us therein by the last two parts.”

Luther also viewed the Ten
Commandments as means by which the Holy Spirit
sanctifies.

“Thus we have the Ten Commandments, a commend of divine
doctrine, as to what we are to do in order that our whole life may
be pleasing to God, and the true fountain and channel from and in
which everything must arise and flow that is to be a good work, so
that outside of the Ten Commandments no work or thing can be good
or pleasing to God, however great or precious it be in the eyes of
the world [...] whoever does attain to them is a heavenly, angelic
man, far above all holiness of the world. Only occupy yourself with
them, and try your best, apply all power and ability, and you will
find so much to do that you will neither seek nor esteem any other
work or holiness.”

Holiness movement

The understanding that holiness is
relational is growing
in the contemporary Holiness
movement. In relational holiness, the core notion is love. Other notions of holiness,
such as purity, being set
apart, perfection, keeping rules, and total commitment,
are seen as contributory notions of holiness. These contributory
notions find their ultimate legitimacy
when love is at their core (Thomas Jay
Oord and Michael
Lodahl). It is only as a believer is enabled and empowered to
respond to the love of God that they begin to live a holy life.
Their goal is to make God their one great desire, to yield their all to
God and let Christ be enthroned in
their life.

1
Corinthians 1:30 - 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are
in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and
righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, (NASB)

1
Corinthians 6:11 - "...But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God." (NRSV)

2
Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding
as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the
Lord." (NKJV)

2
Corinthians 7:1 - "...beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of
God." (NKJV)